


darling, i'll be true

by lovelyflowersinherhair



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-23
Updated: 2019-11-23
Packaged: 2021-02-18 18:21:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,174
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21531265
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lovelyflowersinherhair/pseuds/lovelyflowersinherhair
Summary: “How? How can we possibly be happy when they have to live with us, and they’re going to ruin everything? How are we going to explain what they are to our baby? Why would you even want to deal with them? They’re my problem, FP. Not yours.”
Relationships: Alice Cooper/FP Jones II
Comments: 4
Kudos: 38





	darling, i'll be true

**Author's Note:**

  * For [celine_cooperjones](https://archiveofourown.org/users/celine_cooperjones/gifts).



> Happy birthday!

FP killed the engine of the cruiser as he pulled into the driveway, more than relieved to finally be home. He was so tired of having to deal with being the Sheriff, and it was only the fact that he had another reason to stick it out that stopped him from quitting on the spot. No, it wasn’t solely the fact that quitting was the one thing that Hiram wanted him to do. He didn’t much care about pleasing Hiram. The reason that he hadn’t quit was the simple fact that Alice was pregnant.

They hadn’t bothered much with using birth control, even though with their history some would have considered that foolish, but after the misery they had both gone through, using a condom had seemed to be an unnecessary concession. They hadn’t been trying, per se, but they hadn’t  _ not _ been trying. The baby had seemed like a foregone conclusion. 

He was just grateful that he was off duty and could spend the evening with his girl, and their little family. 

He loosened his tie as he entered the house, and he hung his jacket in the hall closet. “Al?” He called out. “Honey, I’m home.” 

“She’s in a bad mood,” Jellybean said, appearing out of nowhere, and he managed to refrain from shrieking in horror. “I wouldn’t bother her, if I were you.”

“What the hell happened?” 

“One of Cheryl’s relatives reported the fact that the twins were living in ‘questionable circumstances’,” she informed him, her statement accompanied by an eye roll. “Because we’re talking about rich Northsiders, they have opened an investigation, and they have discovered that the twins’ mother has been declared unfit.” 

“So why is Alice in a bad mood?” 

“Because  _ she _ has to take care of them,” Jellybean said. “They wouldn’t allow her to let them become wards of the state, and the Blossom who called didn’t want to deal with them.” She rolled her eyes. “Plus, Jughead ate the last brownie. I think that’s what set her off. You know how the baby is.”

“I’ll talk to her,” he said. “Where is she?” 

“In the living room,” she said. “She’s watching TV.”

FP headed in the direction of the living room, where he could hear the television playing, and he shed that hideous uniform shirt of his, leaving him in his undershirt and his work pants. Alice had tucked herself into the corner of the couch, clad in a pair of his boxers and one of his flannels, and he barely was able to resist gravitating toward her bump, which was clearly evident. Alice was his priority. The baby would be acknowledged after.

“You, uh, mind if I join you?” 

She glanced up at him. It was clear that she’d been crying. She offered him a short nod, and he sank down next to her, and reached out for her hand. 

“I heard Jellybean telling you,” she said, rather stiffly. “How I’m stuck paying for mistakes that Polly made, mistakes that I  _ told _ her not to keep and that she and Betty  _ insisted  _ that she should be allowed to, and now that she’s stuck in the damn loony bin, guess who gets to put up with those children? I knew where they were,” she continued. “I just didn’t care, because, for once, I thought that we could be happy.”

“We can still be happy, Alice,” he said. “I don’t--”

“How? How can we possibly be happy when they have to live with us, and they’re going to ruin everything? How are we going to explain what they are to  _ our _ baby? Why would you even want to deal with them? They’re my problem, FP. Not yours.”

He drew in a quiet breath. Clearly the fact that Alice was now the guardian of two toddlers had thrown her for a loop, and coupled with the surging hormones that were courtesy of their baby, well, there was a clear explanation for her visit to irrationality and -- of course -- the tears. She had begun crying in earnest.

“I’ll raise them,” he said. “With you.”   
  


“You don’t have to do that,” she said. “I can’t make you do that.”   
  
“What’s two more? We’re already going to be raising this one in here.” He gestured to her bump. “Don’t see what the harm is in helping you with the twins.” 

“I wouldn’t care if there was an expiration date on this,” she whispered. “I just--they said that she signed away her rights. Willingly. And they said I had no choice but to take them because I was already in the system from when I tried to get to foster Jughead.” 

“So, what does that mean?” FP had no idea what any of this meant besides the fact that no matter how many tears Alice cried, the twins were going to be living with them. “Does that mean that we’re going to be their parents?”

She shook her head. “I don’t know. I don’t want to be.”   
  


He carefully tucked his arms around her, and shifted her so that she was close to him. If his hand happened to come to rest on her abdomen, it was a happy coincidence that was mere happenstance. The baby gave him a big kick. 

“Babe, you had to know that Cheryl keeping the twins for the long term was unrealistic,” he said, as he traced circles and hearts with his fingers on her bare skin. “I mean, I get it, Al. I don’t blame you for not wanting to be their guardian. But do you really want them to live with Cheryl?”

She sniffled. “I guess I don’t.” 

“And I don’t mind -- we can raise them as our own,” he added. “It’s probably for the best that Polly signed away her rights,” he added. “I don’t want to imagine what that would have been like, if she’d decided to join another cult and take them with her, after she’s been released.” He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. 

Alice snuggled closer to him. “I know that, logically,” she said. “I just...I was having a moment. I wanted to feel sorry for myself.” 

“It’s okay, babe.” He shifted so that she could stretch out across his lap, which was one of their favorite positions to relax in, mainly because their child rather enjoyed her proximity to her dad, and was content to roll around, and put on a show. “I love you.” 

“Mmm?” She whispered. “Who was that directed to? Me? Or your little angel, who is currently delighted to assert her presence?”   
  


“You,” he said. “But, Al. I love her, too. So much.” He pressed his hand against her belly, pleased when the baby kicked against it. “Hi, darling, yes. Daddy’s here. He’s calmed Mama down.” 

“You always calm me down,” she said, and he heard her yawn. “I’m so tired.”

“That’s because you worked yourself and the baby up,” he said, as he ran his fingers through her hair. “I love you, babe. Why don’t you take a nap?”


End file.
